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A person's handwriting can tell you quite a lot about his or her personality and character. From the style of every loop and curl to the amount of space between the letters, each tiny detail can reveal a different aspect of a person's character and/or mindset. Look for some of the common indicators of a person's personality in his handwriting style, for example the slant and the angle of the baseline.

Analyze a person's emotional energy by looking at the firmness of the handwriting. Firmness is the strength with which someone presses onto the page and can be measured by looking at the color of the handwriting: darker ink indicates a firmer style, while a lighter shade means that the person pressed lightly. Alternatively, run your fingers along the back of the page and feel for any lumps and bumps - these are an indication as well of someone pressing down hard. Those who do push down too hard tend to be successful and have lots of vitality; those who press lightly tend to avoid socially draining situations.

Look at the slant of a person's handwriting to judge his or her emotional response to external situations. Right-sided slants - those that lean forward to the right - indicate a person who is caring, considerate, warm and outgoing. Left-sided slants - those that lean backward to the left - indicate someone who conceals his emotions and is cold and difficult to read. A vertical slant implies the person's mind rules her heart, which means she keep her emotions in check.

Assess a person's emotional reliability by looking at his baseline. The baseline is the line that sits beneath a person's handwriting - although most pages have lines already drawn on them, you can examine a person's imaginary baseline by getting him to write on plain, unmarked paper. A person who writes with a perfectly straight baseline is commonly tense and overdisciplined, while a person with a wavy baseline is likely to be on an emotional roller coaster. Ascending baselines mean someone is optimistic, and descending ones indicate a pessimist.

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Mix all of these readings together to get a general overview of a person's personality. Someone who writes firmly with a right-sided slant, for example, is a person who invests his emotions in other people, particularly in being considerate and caring.

Serial killer Charles Manson's handwriting had a notoriously wavy baseline, which would indicate - as suggested - that his emotions were out of control.

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About the Author

Matthew Caines began writing and editing in 2008 and has since gained valuable experience in the publishing industry working for national publications such as "The Guardian," "Sartorial Male," "AREA Magazine," "Food & Drink Magazine," "Redbrick Newspaper" and "REACH Magazine." He has a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Birmingham, U.K.